Continuous feed for spring loading machine



Feb. 28, 1956 W.YK. MGINERNEY ElAL CONTINUOUS FEED FOR SPRING LOADING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 xhwmhm ATTOR NEY Feb. 28, 1956 w. K. M INERNEY ETAL 2,736,479

CONTINUOUS FEED FOR SPRING LOADING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 m WILLIAM KMQINERNEY JAMES MN I NERNEI iiurffllduaxw Feb. 28, 1956 MlNERNEY 2,736,479

CONTINUOUS FEED FOR SPRING LOADING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 iii 2:3

Filed March 3, 1952 l- "HM z.

, wvemons WILLIAM (.PFWERNEY JAMES "IMHNERNF ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1956 L w. K. MQINYERNEY ETAL 2,736,479

CONTINUOUS FEED FOR spams LOADING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1952 'S'SheetS-Sheet 4 |NVENTO R5 JAMES MM INERNEY BY MghW ATTORNEY ILLIAM KM INERNEY 1956 v w. K. MOIYNERNEY ETAL 2,736,479

CONTINUOUS FEED FOR SPRING LOADING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 3, 1952 INVENTORS WILLIAM K. MHNERNEY dg Es MMQINERNEY ze/MMM6 AT roRNEY United States Patent CONTINUOUS FEED FOR SPRING LOADING MACHINE William K. Mclnerney and James M. Mclnerney, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application March 3, 1952, Serial No. 274,552

3 Claims. (Cl. 226--18) This invention relates to a continuous feed device for such machines as a spring pocket filling machine of the nature as one shown by our Patent No. 2,647,671, issued August 4, 1953, or it may be substituted for the continuous feeding device shown as part of a machine in our Patent No. 2,663,475, issued December 22, 1953. This device is also adaptable for use with other machines of the same general nature as those mentioned.

Although not confined to this use, the machine primarily is designed to convey coiled springs to a filling station whereat the springs are compressed and inserted into cloth pockets, which, after being further processed, become a part of a cushion spring seat.

To accomplish the purpose a plurality of racks are provided, each having several vertical receptacles thereon. The springs are placed by hand, one in each receptacle, at a loading platform and then the racks are manually moved to a position from which the automatic feeding device moves them successively to the filling machine where the springs are compressed in the receptacles, removed therefrom and inserted into the pockets,

and the racks with empty receptacles are moved from the filling machine and returned to the loading platform.

The feeding device is entirely automatic and synchro nized with the filling machine so that after the receptacles are filled with springs and the racks moved to conveying position, no further manual attention to them is required until they are returned empty to the loading platform to be refilled.

The machine is hereafter more fully described in detail and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a machine embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the machine on the line 33 of Fig. 1,

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary enlarged views, partly in diagram, showing electric motor switches and parts which operate them,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section in the line 7-7 of Fig. 6 showing the pusher mechanism for moving the racks through the filling machine,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 9,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 showing further details of the pusher mechamsm,

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section of a part of the transfer chain and a rack and pusher.

' Like reference numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

The pocket filling machine illustrated herein, which may be altered in structure so far as this invention is concerned, comprises generally a track 1 along which the racks 2 with the receptacles 3 are moved. At a midposition of the track 1 vertically reciprocal plungers 4 latented Feb. 28, 1956 2 are located and arranged to enter the receptacles 3 to compress the springs therein. Forwardly of the track 1 a pronged conveyor chain 5 is located which engages openended spring pockets 6 and moves them along a table 7 to a position where the springs may be inserted into them.

A horizontal slide 8 carrying rams 9, one opposite each plunger 4, is mounted to move forward after the springs have been compressed and to push the compressed springs into the open ends of the pockets. The upper ends of the receptacles 3 are open for insertion of the springs and for entrance of the plungers 4 and the front and back sides of the receptacles have openings near their bottoms for entrance of the rams 9 and exit of the compressed springs. After insertion of the compressed springs, the pockets move between conveyor belts 10 and 11 which hold the springs compressed and move the filled pockets to the exit end of the machine.

The aforementioned parts are operated synchronously and in step by step movement by suitable mechanism, that shown comprising a motor 15 driving a reduction gear 16 which rotates a shaft 17. The shaft 17 rotates a cam shaft 19 by bevel gears 18. The shaft 19 has cams 20 and 21 which, through suitable connections, oscillate the levers 22 and 23. The lever 22 is connected to and reciprocates the slide 8 and the lever 23 is connected to the rods 24 which operate the vertical slide 25 on which the plungers 4 are mounted.

The shaft 17 has a crank 26 to which one end of a link 27 is attached, its other end being connected to a lever 28. The lower ends of both the levers 28 and 29 are rigidly attached to a rack shaft 30 so that operation of the crank 26 oscillates the upper ends of both levers 28 and 29.

The upper end of the lever 28 is connected to a slide 31 which, by suitable clutch mechanism, gives a chain 32 an intermittent movement. The chain 32 passes around sprockets 33 mounted on shafts 34 and similar sprockets 35 are also mounted on the shafts 34. The. pronged conveyor chains 5 pass around the sprockets 35 and thus are moved intermittently synchronized with movement of the plungers 4 and the rams 9 whereby the pockets 6 are brought to the proper locations at the right times to receive the springs which are inserted into them by the rams 9.

The upper end of the lever 29 is connected to and reciprocates a pusher which moves the spring loaded racks into the pocket filling machine intermittently in timed relation with the movements of the rams 9 and the plungers 4, and also corresponding with the movement of the pockets 6.

The pusher is illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9. It comprises a sliding body 40 connected by a link 41 with the upper end of the lever 29. The body 46 has bearing rollers 42 which travel in channel tracks 43. The und'ersides of the racks 2 have lugs 44 projecting downwardly and accurately located relative to the receptacles 3 on the racks. A pivoted finger 45 is pivoted on the pusher body 40 and normally held erect by a spring 46 in which position its upper end is in the patch of the lugs 44. A stop lever 47 is pivoted near its center to the frame of the machine and its upper end is normally swung downward out of the path of the lugs 44 by a spring 48.

When the pusher moves forward the finger 45 engages the next adjacent lug -44-on a rack 2 and moves the rack forwardly. When the lever 29 nears the end of its swinging movement a cross bar 49 on the pusher engages the lower end of the stop lever 47 swinging its upper end into the path of the lugs '44 and when the pusher reaches the end of its forward stroke the upper end of the stop lever is engaged by a lug 44 which accurately locates the stopping position of the rack and prevents overthrow by momentum. The location of the stop lever is governed by the length of travel of the pusher which may be made to move at each stroke any number of receptacles into the pocket filling machine. On return movement of the pusher the spring 46 will yield and permit the finger 45 to be depressed and ride under the lugs 44, and when the cross bar 49 on the pusher leaves the stop lever 47 it will be swung to its inoperative position by the spring 48.

In order to keep the filling machine operating automatically, the feeding device of this invention is utilized. It comprises a loading station platform 50 whereat an operator places a coiled spring in each receptacle 3 on the rack 2. This loading platform is a horizontal frame 51 having horizontal rollers 52 thereon, the rollers preferably being considerably longer than the width of the racks so that several racks may accumulate on them, either empty, in process of being loaded or loaded and ready for automatic conveying into the filling machine.

Ane end of the frame 51 is preferably narrowed at 53, and the rollers 54 thereon are substantially the same length as the width of the racks 2 and the loaded racks are successively moved onto this narrowed portion one at a time by the operator. At this narrowed end of the loading platform two conveyor chains 55 are located, each running around sprockets 56 at that location and extending forwardly around sprockets 57 which are substantially in line with the tracks 1.

The forward sprockets 57 are driven through a chain 58 by an electric motor 59 and the conveyor chains 55 are provided with outwardly extending lugs 60. The motor 59 has in its electric circuit 61 a normally closed switch 62 one member of which has a pin 63 extending into the path of the racks 2 as they reach the far side of the track 1 where the rack will stroke the pin 63 and depress it to open the switch 62 and stop operation of the motor 59.

Thus it will be seen that the motor 59 operates to continuously drive the conveyor chains while there is no rack at the track 1 to be moved into the filling machine by the pusher. As the operator loads the receptacles on a rack and moves it onto the narrow portion of the loading station over the conveyor chains 55 the lugs 60 on the chains will engage the rear edge of a rack and move it forwardly sliding along the bars 65 until it reaches the far side of the track 1 where it will engage and thrust the pin 63 to open the switch 62 and stop the motor 59 and conveyor chains. The length of the conveyor chains is such that several racks may be distributed in its length, each of which will be successively moved forward toward the track 1 as a rack is moved along the track away from the conveyor chain location.

The pusher 40 in its intermittent movement moves a rack step by step from the conveyor location toward the filling machine and as a rack leaves that location it releases the pin 63 permitting the switch 62 to close, which will again start the motor 59 to move the conveyor chains 55 until another rack reaches the track and engages the pin 63.

As has been described, the pusher 40 moves the racks 2 into the filling machines where their receptacles 3 are emptied and to carry out this invention it now becomes necessary to automatically remove the racks from the filling machine and carry them on to a return conveyor which will be hereafter described. For this further movement of the racks a second pusher 40 similar to the first pusher 40 and having a finger 45 is spaced from the first pusher and rides in the same channel track 43 (Figs. 6 and 7). This second pusher is connected to the first pusher by a rod 70 which slides through a guide member 71 of the frame so that both pushers are caused to reciprocate synchronously. The second pusher is 4 spaced from the first pusher a distance small enough so that its fingers 45 will pick up the lugs 44 on a rack before it has gone beyond the influence of the first pusher. If the distance the racks are to be moved is great additional pushers may be added all moving in synchronism.

At the far end of the tracks 1, beyond the filling machine, the return conveyor chains 75 are located which are similarto the conveyor chains 55 but move in an opposite direction. These return conveyor chains 75 run around sprockets 76 on a drive shaft 77 in alignment with the tracks and at their rear extremities they run around idler sprockets 78 adjacent the wide portion of the loading platform 50. These chains are provided with outwardly extending lugs 7 9 which engage the racks and move them along the bars 80. The drive shaft 77 is rotated by an electric motor 81 through a chain 87. The track 1 may discontinue at the filling machine location as there is no need for accurate guidance of the racks from there on, and the continued movement of the racks may be simply along the frame of the machine.

The motor 81 has in its electric circuit 83 a normally open switch 84, the movable member of which is contacted by a lever 85 which is pivoted between its ends to an end member 86 of the frame of the machine. A spring 87 normally moves the lower end of the lever 85 in a direction to permit the switch 84 to open.

A pad 90 is fixed to the upper swinging end of the lever 85 in the path of the racks 2 as they are moved by the pushers and upon reaching the end of the machine the advance end of a rack Will strike the pad 90 and swing the lever 85 to close the switch 84 whereupon the motor 81 will start and move the conveyor chains 75, whose lugs 79 will engage the rack and move it forthwith out of the path of the next oncoming rack. The pad 90 extends parallel with the chains 75 a sufiicient distance so that the rack travels well clear of the path of the next oncoming rack before it leaves the pad, permitting the lever 85 to swing and the switch 84 to open stopping the motor 81.

The next rack reaching the pad 90 closes the switch 84 and operates the motor 81 until that rack has passed the pad 90 and thus the empty racks as they reach the end of the machine successively and intermittently cause operation of the return conveyor chains 75 carrying the empty racks back to the loading station 50 for refilling by the operator.

In operation a considerable number of racks are in the machine, some empty and in process of being filled at the loading platform 50, some are filled and on the conveyor chains 55 moving toward the filling machine, others are on the track 1 being moved to and through the filling machine, and others are empty being pushed from the filling machine and on the conveyor chains 75 being returned to the loading platform. The operator works at the loading station 50 and inserts springs into the receptacles 3 of a rack, and when it is filled the rack is moved along the rollers 52 and 54 to the narrow portion of the frame 53 to the conveyor chains 55. The operator continues to shift other empty racks along the rollers 52 and fill them, and in turn move them opposite the chains 55.

The motor 59 moves the conveyor chains 55 to pick up racks from the loading platform so long as there is no rack against the track 1, and when a rack reaches the track and presses the pin 63, the motor circuit breaks and the motor 59 and the conveyors 55 stop movement. The pusher 40 then moves the rack step by step toward the filling machine and when the rack leaves the pin 63 the switch closes and starts the motor to move another filled rack into place against the track 1. The pusher 40 and its companion -40 intermittently move the racks along the track 1 into and through the filling machine where they are emptied and the racks are continued to be moved past the filling machine to the end of the frame where they engage the pad 90 to close the switch 84 which starts the motor 81 and moves the conveyor chains 75 to pick up an empty rack and move it toward the loading platform 50 until it passes and releases the pad 90 which opens the switch 84 and stops the motor. But additional racks coming successively from the filling machine intermittently strike the pad 90 and resume movement of the conveyors 75 which carry the empty racks to and deposit them on the rollers 52 of the loading platform where they are within convenient reach of the operator who refills them and starts them on another circuit. Thus after being manually filled, the racks are automatically carried to and through the filling machine in timed relation with the operation thereof and the empty racks are returned for refilling without any manual attention Whatever.

The term filling machine as used in the claims is to be interpreted to mean any machine through which articles are passed to be processed.

The invention is defined by the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms coming within their scope.

We claim:

1. The combination with a filling machine having conveyor means for passing article holding racks therethrough and means for processing articles in said racks While in the filling machine, of a continuous feeding device for the filling machine comprising, a loading platform to receive said racks, an infeed conveyor extending between said loading platform and the filling machine conveyor, and adapted to receive racks from the loading platform, an outfeed conveyor extending between said filling machine conveyor and said loading platform and adapted to receive racks from the filling machine conveyor, means for moving said infeed conveyor toward said filling machine conveyor, automatic means for ceasing movement of the infeed conveyor upon alignment of a rack with the filling machine conveyor and for resuming movement of the infeed conveyor upon removal of a rack therefrom, and automatic means for starting movement of the outfeed conveyor toward said loading platform upon deposit of a rack thereon and for ceasing movement thereof upon removal of said rack from the filling machine conveyor.

2. The elements of claim 1 in which the means for moving and stopping the infeed conveyor comprises an electric motor having an electric circuit therefor, a normally closed switch in said circuit, said switch being engaged and opened by a rack as it aligns with the filling machine conveyor, said switch being released and closed when said rack is moved away from the infeed conveyor.

3. The elements of claim 1 in which the means for moving and ceasing movement of the outfeed conveyor comprises an electric motor having an electric circuit therefor, a normally open switch in said circuit, a movable member engageable by a rack and acting to close said switch upon such engagement and to open said switch upon disengagement, said movable member having a length in the direction of travel of the outfeed conveyor greater than the Width of a rack in said direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

